Witz78 wrote:wildJONESEYE wrote:Witz78 wrote:any word on whether Brecel will get on tour next season?
i think he has to be 16 he is 15 just had it.
his birthday is march the 8th so he should be eligible by the start of 2011/2012 season.
i know but i thought Hearn might have waived this stupid discriminatory rule. If there good enough their old enough, and Brecel earned a place on last seasons tour by rights so should have been there. Plus hed add a lot of interest to the sport being so young, plus hed be a good figurehead for the expansion of the game into Europe.
In tennis age isnt an issue so i dont see how snooker with its far reduced calendar in comparison to tennis it is a problem. As it is Brecel plays amateur tournaments all over the place and is at the Academy a lot so thered be little difference if he was playing on the main tour.
Plus he could start to maximise his potential straight away and gain experience rather than run the risk of being another promising talent and kid tipped for the top who failed to live up to the hype
Well I totally disagree with you here Witz. They might be good enough technically, they are still only kids. They don't necessarily have the maturity and the mental toughness to cope, and when they don't it's extremely destructive and damaging for their future. If they are succesful they are exposed to hangers around and sycophants and are often still very naive, hence vulnerable to exploitation. Look at what pressure, expectations and battle scars did to Ding. Read what Neil Robertson wrote about his first experience on the Main Tour... it was disaster and very nearly "killed" him as a snooker player. To me 16 is too early already; I would put the limit at 18.
I've seen Luca play and behave quite a few times now. He has the game, no doubt, but I can tell you he hasn't the maturity yet, and it shows in his attitude. I've seen a huge improvement since last season, really impressive, but waiting for another year certainly won't harm him, on the contrary. If he was on the MT next season I don't give him 3 months before he gets in controversy and trouble and fans start slagging him off. (yesterday for instance, Luca categorically refused to say a single word in front of the audience and the press after winning the Belgian Championship - it was left to Bjorn Hanneveer, the loser, to thank the audience, the sponsors, the venue managers, you name it ... he just stood there shaking his head and mute.)
Playing in amateur events isn't the same, the public exposure isn't the same , the pressure isn't the same ... and the money isn't the same. Give a kid too much money too early and you have a receipt for disaster.
nice venue BTW.
